Townsend, Tennessee - Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, East Tennessee and Western North Carolina

Welcome to the Fishing Report from the Great Smoky Mountains. It is a cloudy morning, exactly what Byron wanted for fishing. The boat is gone from the parking lot so he must be out on the lake somewhere.

We didn't get anymore rain overnight. Water levels are lower than they were yesterday but the streams are still very high. At around 9:30 the streamflow gauge was giving a reading of 3.09 feet or 816 c.f.s. much higher than the daily normal of 357 c.f.s. This is down quite a bit from yesterday's peak of around 2,400 c.f.s. Water temperature took its normal dip overnight and is at 51F. This warms throughout the day.

The Little River through Townsend is still very muddy. Up inside the Park, the streams will be flowing with less sediment.

Where to go and what to use. Those are always hard questions when water conditions are high. There is different trains of thought. Smaller streams with smaller watersheds are probably the best option. There is going to be less water flowing into those streams so they should return to a fishable level sooner. Some anglers like to go to the high elevations to try to get above the water. This time of year you are also going to find colder water temperatures which will make the catching harder. Others will fish the larger, lower elevation streams from the edges or banks. Even though there will be much more water volume, on lower gradient streams that water will have more chance to settle out.

Nymphs with plenty of split shot will be the best bet earlier in the day. Keep an eye out for bugs later in the day and maybe switch over to a dry.

We have two new additions to our Fly Fishing School. Coming up on Saturday April 26th we have an Intermediate Casting Class tought by Rob Fightmaster. This four hour class will introduce you to a number of casting techniques for creating better presentation, dealing with obstacles, and achieving better accuracy and distance. We recommend that you have fundamental fly casting knowledge and you are encouraged to bring your own rod. The class will cost $100 and is limited to 6 students so please call and make a reservation.

The other new class is going to be great. It is a Nymphing Tactics School. This class will be taught by Rob Fightmaster and Bill Bolinger. Our nymphing class will help unlock some of the mystery of nymphing as we discuss a variety of tactics for use in all types of water. The morning session will be spent in the classroom learning about everything from theory and strategy to proper gear and rigging. We will also spend a little time in the lawn learning specific casting techiques for fishing nymphs and casting more heavily weighted rigs. After lunch, we'll head to the river to better demonstrate the techniques, learn more about reading water, and give you a chance to put it all to the test!

We recommend that students in this class have some fly fishing and casting experience and you are encouraged to bring your own waders and rod (8-10 foot and 4-6 weight recommended). A rain jacket and polarized sunglasses are also recommended and you will need a valid TN or NC fishing license. The cost for this class is $125 and it is limited to 6 students. Lunch will be provided.

I haven't gotten pages made for these classes on the website yet. If you are interested in signing up please give us a call here at the Shop. 865-448-9459. Space is limited.

If the cabin fever is becoming too much and you just have to get out on the stream today, be careful. Water levels are still high. The next several days are going to be warm and dry. Fishing should be great this weekend. Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.